Wars don’t always end when veterans come home. One of the most difficult battles that many veterans contend with is the struggle against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whose symptoms often include intrusive memories, flashbacks, and nightmares; difficulty sleeping and concentrating; feeling angry or easily provoked; and losing interest in things they once loved.

To better care for these former service members, the Veterans Administration established the National Center for PTSD in 1989. Today, they lead the world in PTSD research, treatment, and education to help veterans overcome their trauma through individualized care.

The VA’s ongoing studies range from investigations of genetic or biochemical foundations of PTSD to evaluating new treatments and drugs. Its research aims to improve veterans’ quality of life by increasing the number and type of evidence-based treatments and identifying additional personalized approaches for treating PTSD. Current PTSD research includes studies of veterans, their families, and couples. Veterans of all eras are included.

In studies of PTSD prevalence among veterans, the VA has established the PTSD rate among Vietnam veterans was 30.9 percent for men and 26.9 percent for women. For Gulf War Veterans, the PTSD rate was 12.1 percent. Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans had a PTSD rate of 13.8 percent. The significance of these findings signals the need for care tailored to the needs of the individual veteran.

A 2025 paper by researcher Shao Han Chang and colleagues found that after experiencing life-threatening events, soldiers may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by abnormalities in fear memory. Chang’s studies have highlighted a correlation between the activity of theta brain waves – those that usually take place as we slide into sleep, are suspended in a light stage of sleep or are even awake, deeply relaxed and on “autopilot” – and the expression of fear in animal models. The medial prefrontal cortex is a key region of top-down fear regulation, so discovering the impact of gene expression patterns and resulting adaptations is crucial to formulating a solid understanding of how PTSD develops.

This study highlights the significance of brain wave measurements in PTSD research, emphasizing their role as a key indicator of expression of fear and tracking temporal changes.  Using a popular rat model involving prolonged stress, machine learning offers promise in detecting and predicting fear behaviors, while genetic profiling reveals stage- -specific pathways in the model, distinguishing it from non-pathological learned fears. The findings in the study may pave the way for a better understanding of PTSD and potential intervention strategies.

Researchers at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center have identified hundreds of blood-based genetic markers for psychological stress. The research spanned a 10-year period and highlighted 285 individual biomarkers associated with 269 genes. Researchers believe the findings could lead to improved earlier diagnostics for PTSD and offer new leads for the development of drug or natural compound-based therapeutics.

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation is also a promising new treatment for PTSD, according to a study by Providence VA Medical Center researchers. In therapy, magnetic pulses are applied to specific points on the skull to stimulate areas of the brain. Participants experienced improved social and occupational function and lower depression after treatment.

Researchers with VA’s Million Veteran Program identified eight separate regions in the human genome associated with reexperiencing traumatic memories. Re-experiencing is the most distinctive symptom of PTSD. The results also found a genetic overlap between PTSD and other conditions, such as schizophrenia and hypertension.

A procedure called stellate ganglion block, which involves injecting a local anesthetic into the neck, is used to treat certain pain conditions. The procedure may also be able to stop nerve impulses to the brain that trigger anxiety in patients with PTSD. The researchers recommended further study of this possible treatment. The VA Long Beach Healthcare System initiated a stellate ganglion block clinical program in 2017 and now has treated more than 60 veterans using this procedure. Researchers are exploring the safe use of this emerging therapy in more broad applications. 

The Veteran’s Administration remains committed to finding the best approaches to a problem affecting up to 20% of veterans in the United States. Research is ongoing and provides hope for all suffering with this serious mental health issue.

Dr. Eugene Lucas is an associate professor and coordinator of the distance education Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at Wilkes University.

References

1. Shao Han Chang, Chen Yi Lin, Yao Ming Chang, Huan Yuan Chen, Fu Zen Shaw, & Bai Chuang Shyu. (2025). Temporal Profiling of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Explored by Brain Wave Dynamics, Machine Learning, and Genetic Patterns in a Rat Model Stimulating PTSD. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 28, i218–i219. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11814691/

2. VA Research on Post Traumatic Disorder downloaded from VA research on POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) on 8/13/25 at 1200.

3. Kim Peterson, MS Donald Bourne, BS Johanna Anderson, MPH Katherine Mackey, MD Mark Helfand, MD, MS, MPH (2017) Evidence Brief: Effectiveness of Stellate Ganglion Block for the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder